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SINGAPORE: One goal down at half-time, they came out early after the break.
Etoile skipper Matthias Verschave and Anthony Moulin were already standing over the ball in the centre circle eager to get the game under way while Woodlands Wellington were still walking out of the dressing room.
There was little doubt that Etoile were up for the challenge. Three unanswered second-half goals later, the French side became only the second foreign team - Brunei's DPMM won the same competition last year - to win a trophy on local soil when they lifted the League Cup.
Abdelhadi Laakkad gave Woodlands the lead in first-half injury time, but a Verschave double (50th, 84th) and a Leeroy Anton finish in injury time sealed Etoile's victory.
And the French promised that this was just the start.
The celebrations started at the final whistle and continued even after the lights were switched off at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
"When we came we promised a lot, that we will entertain the fans and try to take the S.League a step forward," said club chairman Johan Gouttefangeas.
"We are here to prove something and this win starts the delivery on those promises. We want to 'makan' everything here," added Gouttefangeas on the remaining two trophies on offer this season.
Verschave's two goals earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, showing just how much the French want to succeed here.
Said the 32-year-old: "We knew that everybody wants to beat us, and like any cup final, this was very important to the players."
It wasn't just the resilient Woodlands side that Etoile had to overcome.
Controversial refereeing decisions were peppered throughout the 90 minutes, but the French gave a professional account of themselves, they even had a champion T-shirt ready when referee P. Pandian blew the final whistle.
And if the French are to be believed, there will be more to come. -
In an earlier match for third placing, Sengkang Punggol beat Gombak United 2-1. - TODAY
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